Carers Week is all about reminding people of the tireless dedication of carers and the positive impact of their thankless work. We in Lewisham are encouraging everybody to spare a thought for our carers in the community who do such brilliant work.

The focus of this year's Carer's Week is Building Carer Friendly Communities. This is to stress the importance of recognising carers within our society and giving them the support they need as individuals to do the work they do.

Dr Marc Rowland, Chair of NHS Lewisham Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), said: "It is very common for carers to feel undervalued or misunderstood in their communities. This is worrying considering that three out of four people are likely to take on the role of carer at some point in their lives."

"It is important that we have a greater understanding and appreciation of the stress and strain that these responsibilities place on individuals."

There are 6.5 million carers in the UK today, with one in eight of them providing unpaid care to the older, disabled and seriously ill in our communities.